Courtesy of the Neighborhood HouseThe Neighborhood House says it needs another $20,000 to fund its summer camp programs, which are already under way.

MORRISTOWN — Most years, the Neighborhood House — which runs summer camps serving about 200 children in Morristown and Denville — has little trouble reaching its fundraising goals.

Most years.

But the program has seen a sharp decline in donations this year. And while it would normally be at or well beyond targets by July, it's running about $20,000 short of a $50,000 goal, executive director David Walker said.

So within weeks, the Neighborhood House could be looking at hard choices — such as charging more for fall programs, like its homework center, its recreation and fine arts programs or its youth development initiatives. And setting up economic barriers to its programs flies in the face of the Neighborhood House's mission to provide community stability and economic growth by transitioning immigrant families into their communities.

When a program for those in need becomes more expensive, it can't reach as many of those in need.

"Unfortunately, we would do what we have to do," Walker said. "Out of a commitment to the
community and the kids that we serve, we enrolled the kids this year (even knowing funding was tight). We're
talking about families that need the services. Hardworking families. So
in the best interest of the kids, we took them on."

The problem, he said, is that some of the program's most generous donors haven't stepped up with quite as much money this year as they have in the past. And the nine-week summer camp has been stretched to 10 weeks. A lack of snow days during 2011-2012 meant this year's summer break was a little longer in area school districts.

"When kids aren't being engaged in
constructive activities during the summer, they engage in destructive
activities," Walker said. "So we went further with enrolling."

It costs more than $1,500 for a child to attend the program for 10 weeks — though few families pay that much, as they're charged on a sliding scale, Walker said. That makes it hard to collect needed funds through fees, and makes donations critical, he said.

Time's running out for the $20,000 — which the program hopes to collect mostly through direct donations — to appear, he said.

Walker said while it's not likely, the program could even consider cutting the existing summer program short. But he said that's "an option we're loathe to consider. Once again, the families and the kids need this."

Dipping into the program's "extremely limited reserve funds" is also on the table, Walker said. A decision about what to do will likely come in the next week, maybe two, he said.

The Neighborhood House accepts donations of all sizes. On its website, it suggests funding levels for a number of scholarship opportunities. For instance, $125 would pay for one child to get seven swimming lessons. A donation of $1,208 would pay for 140 kids to visit the Randolph Climbing center.

More suggested donation levels and instructions on making a donation are available at the site.

Throughout the year, the Neighborhood House runs programs in Morristown, Dover, Randolph, Denville and Morris Township's Frelinghuysen Middle School.